Carolyn Zezima LP, Psychoanalysis in the 21st Century

05/06/2026

Happy 170th birthday to the OG of psychodynamic psychotherapy, Sigmund Freud!

May 6, 2026May 5, 2026 Stuart Mitchner On Freud’s 170th Birthday, He’s Still Everywhere By Stuart Mitchner Everywhere I go I find a poet has been there before me. —Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) Version 1.0.0 The consensus online is that while no one can find evidence that Freud actually made such ...

04/30/2026

An interesting Freudian/Lacanian take on drives, modern society and AI

"Freud’s theory is so important and hard to accept because it goes against our common understanding that we are motivated primarily to live, think, and be stimulated. As a counter-intuitive threshold concept, the death drive helps to explain why we spend hours each day staring into our phones and now chatting with AI: We are driven to escape all mental and physical tension, and a primary tension is derived from our own thinking. Not only are we inherently lazy, but we are prone to engage in addictive, self-destructive behaviors."

One of Freud’s most misunderstood but important concepts is his notion of the death drive.

04/19/2026

A very important conversation, with a psychoanalytic lens

Talking Through Fury with Karim Dajani and Eyal Rozmarin
Voices from ROOM: A Podcast for Analytic Action

This week, Aneta and Isaac speak with Dr. Karim Dajani and Dr. Eyal Rozmarin, who began a correspondence through ROOM as Palestinian and Israeli analysts striving to comprehend Israel and Palestine and one another. Together, Dajani and Rozmarin have carried their difficult and vital conversation through the pages of ROOM, into a video, "Speaking of Home: An Intimate Exchange on Israel-Palestine," and a forthcoming book. In their conversation with Isaac and Aneta, they unpack how they have been both supported and attacked merely for talking to one another. From a social experiment to a series of letters to an intimate piece of humanity and identity, this exchange holds the vulnerability and electricity needed to know and confront our current world.
"Are we going to live in Heaven or Hell? The people of historic Palestine, all of them, must sit at one table and learn to feed each other, look out for each other, and protect each other. Otherwise, we will all starve in one way or another." — Karim Dajani, "Learning From All Things"

"You and I are holding each other for dear life. We want to be free of this vile situation, and in some ways we are. But if we actually want to make a difference, we need to understand where we too, both of us, are still unconscious of what drives the broken, agitated, and desperate collectives we find ourselves representing in this conversation." — Eyal Rozmarin, "Learning From All Things" ROOM 6.24

Podcast Episode · Voices from ROOM: A Podcast for Analytic Action · April 16 · 59m

04/14/2026

This decision has massive implications for the mental health and safety of patients and the ability to ensure therapists are acting ethically.

"APA filed an amicus brief in the case, Chiles v. Salazar, et al., presenting the Court with the scientific evidence that sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts are ineffective and associated with long-lasting psychological damages. The brief argues that “conversion therapy” is unethical and ineffective, and therefore not a legitimate therapeutic practice.

APA’s brief was joined by the American Psychiatric Association and 12 other major associations representing mental health professionals and advocates for the health and human rights of LGBTQ+ individuals.

In Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s dissent from the court’s decision, she cited several references from the brief to the ways “conversion therapy” has harmed patientsopens in new window, especially minors, who are even more sensitive to shame and stigma than adults. Jackson shares APA’s concern that the Court’s decision “opens a dangerous can of worms…[threatening] to impair States’ ability to regulate the provision of medical care in any respect” and “risks grave harm to Americans’ health and well-being.”

https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2026/03/chiles-salazar-therapy-free-speech #

The Court’s decision will have consequences for the regulation of licensed mental health practice, well beyond “conversion therapy”

04/14/2026

Interesting film event for Evanston/Chicago area connections

FANON

Date: Thursday, April 30th
Screening: 7pm – followed by discussion

Location: Annie May Swift Hall – Auditorium�1920 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208
Link to interactive campus map. Complimentary parking in the open air lot after 4pm. Free and open to the public.

Born in Martinique, Frantz Fanon was a psychiatrist, philosopher, and revolutionary. Director Jean-Claude Barny’s new biopic Fanon (2024, 133 min., French and Arabic with subtitles) takes us to 1950s Algeria under French colonial rule, where Fanon spent formative years as chief medical officer of the Blida-Joinville Psychiatric Hospital. Confronting entrenched racism and resistance to his innovative methods, Fanon pushes to offer more humane treatment to his Algerian patients and begins to forge the political thinking that would shape his landmark writings on how colonialism flourishes by dehumanizing the oppressed. Filled with mounting tension and moral dilemmas, the film follows Fanon as he begins to align himself with the Algerian independence movement and the National Liberation Front (FLN).

The Pritzker Pucker Studio Lab is proud to collaborate with the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute to host this special screening of Fanon, which is currently not in distribution in the U.S.

Followed by a conversation with psychoanalyst and Dean of the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute, Ramya B. Iyer, LCSW and Northwestern University’s Michael Anthony Turcios, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Screen Cultures in the Department of Radio/Television/Film.

Thursday, April 30th, 2026

04/06/2026

Keeping in mind that though psychoanalysis is hot right now in China/Chinese culture, it's a western discipline that isn't one size fits all.

"Separation-individuation may not be the natural developmental path we assume it to be. For example, a Chinese patient’s continued financial and emotional interdependence with parents into their thirties might be read as developmental failure in Western frameworks, when it’s actually a coherent expression of filial relationality. Yet we use these concepts anyway, often forcing Chinese patients into theoretical frameworks that may not serve them."

Exploring Chinese psychoanalysis, cultural translation, and postcolonial trauma, this narrative examines identity, language, and the modern psychological landscape.

01/28/2026

If you are interested in learning more about and possibly exploring a career as a psychoanalyst, here's a chance. Please join the open house at NPAP

January 31, 2026 / 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM EST / In-Person

01/14/2026

Part-time Intake Coordinator opportunity for an experienced psychoanalyst:

National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis (NPAP), the oldest non-medical psychoanalytic institute in the US, seeks an Intake and Referral Coordinator for its robust treatment service (The Theodor Reik Clinical Center – TRCC) that is a central part of NPAP’s psychoanalytic training program. The ideal candidate will have a certificate in psychoanalysis from a recognized psychoanalytic institute and five or more years direct clinical experience working with patients. Experience in office administration and supervision of clinical staff ideal.
Job Description: Intake and Referral Coordinator (15 to 18 hours per week)
Position Title: Intake and Referral Coordinator
Status: Part-Time, Hourly rate $50 - $60, depending on experience
The Intake and Referral Coordinator oversees the treatment service of the Institute’s Training Program by managing the intake process, supervising the intake interviewers, ensuring compliance with clinical procedures, and maintaining accurate documentation and workflow.
Key Responsibilities
Intake & Referral
• Guide application interviewers as they conduct interviews
• Make appropriate referrals of interviewed patients in consultation with the EC/TRCC Committee
• Become and remain familiar with candidates who seek referrals
• Stay in regular communication with candidates regarding referrals and follow-up.
• Serve as backup intake interviewer
Interviewer Coordination
• Identify and recruit suitable interviewers to conduct application interviews based on specified criteria
• Train and oversee application interviewers
• Monitor interviewer compliance with clinical documentation—e.g., notes, supervision agreements, required reports—in close collaboration with office staff and supervisors
Administration & Compliance
• Document all contacts and maintain accurate records in the clinical database
• Generate reports as needed
• Monitor completion of application fee payments, consents, HIPAA forms, and other required materials
• Remains conversant with federal, NY State, and local laws regarding clinical mental health practice
• Remains conversant with NY State educational requirements for clinical experience for mental health licensure
Policy & Communication
• Assist in compiling and updating TRCC policies and procedures
• Liaise with the TRCC Director and CE/TRCC Committee
• Attend scheduled meetings
Required Qualifications
• A certificate in psychoanalysis from a recognized psychoanalytic institute
• A New York State mental health license that includes psychoanalysis in the scope of practice
• Strong technology skills and comfort with electronic record-keeping
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently
• Strong interpersonal skills and ease working with diverse individuals
• 5 years’ prior experience in a clinic or similar setting
Application Deadline: Sunday, January 31, 2026. To apply, please submit a current CV, emphasizing required qualifications, plus 3 references to: [email protected].

NPAP offers affordable psychoanalysis and psychotherapy in NYC since 1948. Explore therapy options and advanced training programs for mental health professionals.

01/09/2026

The New Yorker cartoons displayed in my office waiting area to amuse patients while they await our session.

01/09/2026

I am accepting new patients for in-person and virtual psychotherapy sessions You can use the QR code below to learn more about how I work and to book a session directly with me.